Calling All Ann Coulter Conservatives

OK, the “big push” begins in Iraq soon. Yes, ten or twenty thousand more American troops in Iraq are going to turn the situation around, smother the Sunni insurgency, and allow us to all ride off into the democratic sunset. While they are at it I assume they will find the still missing WMDs, rescue Amelia Earhart, and give a Christmas Tree to everyone in Iraq. Sigh. The only result of sending twenty thousand more troops to Iraq is going to be more dead and maimed Americans as more troops go on patrol and are available to shoot at. Dear God, didn’t anyone in the Bush Administration study the Vietnam war? This sort of whack-a-mole nonsense didn’t work there and it won’t work in Iraq. I can only conclude that the fervour with which the neo-cons and the Bushs avoided going to Vietnam themselves, extends to even studying the war. This Big Push is not a “change in strategy.” This is “putting good money after bad.” Doesn’t Bush even know how to play poker?

The military would like to send fifty thousand more troops to Iraq, but alas, twenty or maybe thirty thousand is all they can muster. I have a modest suggestion. I think everyone who thought invading Iraq was a great idea should be given a rifle, body armour (if there’s any to be had,) and an Arabic/English phrasebook…then sent to Iraq to fix the mess we made. The pro war folks seem to know all the answers, they are always claiming how smart they are, they are made for the job, right? There’s no point sending liberals. At least according to the Ann Coulter conservatives: liberals are all stupid, gay, cowardly, terrorist sympathizers.

Seriously though, this line of thought did make me wonder something. How come the pro war folks aren’t lining up at recruiting centres? The army and marines are spread as thin as they can get, if even a hundred thousand patriotic conservatives enlisted, it would be a huge help. So where are they all? I don’t hear any conservative voices calling for people to enlist. I checked, if there are they are few and far between. Even Bush’s own daughters haven’t enlisted, how the Hell can someone send other people’s children to die while his own party under Secret Service protection? How do Ann Coulter and Michael Savage explain this? How does any self respecting conservative explain this? Curious minds want to know.

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8 Responses

You are clearly not informed of all of the facts. The troop increases that the white house is considering did not originate within the white house. This request came from the army itself under the leadership of General William Casey. Your blame is misplaced. You should be questioning the military’s judgement instead.

Also, people of all political affiliations and beliefs have been affected and sacrificed for this war. Blaming conservatives for not carrying enough burden is ignorant and petty.

But, it is so easy to do, isn’t it? It is so easy to sit at your computer and bitch and moan and point fingers and name call. After all, this isn’t the real world, it is only the internet. And you can post whatever you want to and bask in self importance within your safe little blog.

The Pentagon is a giant, incredibly complex establishment, budgeted in excess of $500B per year. The Rumsfelds, the Administrations and the Congressmen come and go but the real machinery of policy and procurement keeps grinding away, presenting the politicos who arrive with detail and alternatives slanted to perpetuate itself.

How can any newcomer, be he a President, a Congressman or even the new Sec. Def.Mr. Gates, understand such complexity, particularly if heretofore he has not had the clearance to get the full details?

Answer- he can’t. Therefore he accepts the alternatives provided by the career establishment that never goes away and he hopes he makes the right choices. Or he is influenced by a lobbyist or two representing companies in his district or special interest groups.

From a practical standpoint, policy and war decisions are made far below the levels of the talking heads who take the heat or the credit for the results.

This situation is unfortunate but it is absolute fact. Take it from one who has been to war and worked in the establishment.

This giant policy making and war machine will eventually come apart and have to be put back together to operate smaller, leaner and on less fuel. But that won’t happen until it hits a brick wall at high speed.

We will then have to run a Volkswagen instead of a Caddy and get along somehow. We better start practicing now and get off our high horse. Our golden aura in the world is beginning to dull from arrogance.

The military has been meeting its quotas by lowering its standards, and worse, by using reserves and the National Guard as regulars. I’m sure the reasons for people enlisting vary on a case by case basis, though getting one’s green card is high on the list. And I am serious, why aren’t more pro-war people calling for a draft and war taxes? Fighting a war with reservists and paying for it with credit cards comes with a terrible price. :) JMO —Doug

Doug, I am not sure where you got the info about the military lowering its standards and worse–Of course, I don’t know what standards are needed for someone to carry a rifle and be trained to fight–not sure what you mean by “worse” also. Is there info out there indicating the demographics of new recruits(conservatives, liberals, hispanics, poor, rich, etc.)?

Also of note, the ones joining the military seem to be serious about what they are doing–notice that the Guard and Reserve are down, so it would seem that the ones joining are serious about actual military service. Of course I am not one to take away from our reservists and guards.

Also, one school of thought concerning war and its effects on an economy is that in every major war we have had in the United States we have experienced economic boom thereafter. Also, our contemporary economy does not work the way it did in say WWII when a war-time tax was needed. Calling for one now under our elastic system wouldn’t even be practical or necessary. That is the reason no one is calling for one.

Love these posts, Doug, they get us talking.

Middle-of-the-road-Jack

P.S. Doug, I just wanted to let you know that I hit “liberal”, “conservative” and “moderate” (like yours) sites and usually always converse in counterpoint. I find it much more stimulating, than lockstepping, and note that yours is a blog that is truly open to such. Keep the posts edjy and I’ll definitely continue to enjoy my visits!

We do want to win right? That is a question we don’t have a clear answer to. I don’t know what a poll would tell us, nor do I really care. We have a Commander in Chief rather than a War Council or War Plebiscite for a very good reason, war is by far the hardest thing we do as a country and we are weak.

Military command resides in an executive, elected and then tasked with doing what we would do if we the people didn’t act like the sheep that we are. We at least recognize that we can’t be trusted to have the resolve to fight and win a war, so we limit our ability to sway in the breeze. We rely on the CinC to manifest what we can’t. All of our wars have had dark days, or years. Valley Forge anyone? Manassas? Kasserine Pass? Chosin? Tet? Well that was a media loss if not a military one, but I think the point is simple. A popular vote would probably have torpedoed all of those campaigns based on the losses incurred and our naturally un-warlike demeanor.

Yes I said un-warlike, as much garbahj as we catch for being cowboys, we have no stomach for a fight let alone conquest or empire. I’m not sure we ever really did, because relentless reporting of casualties on that debacle D Day might have severely affected Liberty Bond sales, let alone FDR’s chance at his 12th term.

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A blog about science, history, war, politics, current events, and just about anything that I find interesting. I post here once a week, this is primarily an archive of my older writings. My new blog is now on Patreon, join me there for more recent posts.

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